Review: "Origin"

Hello {{ first name | friends}},

Almost a year ago, I watched Origin, the film about the creation of Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, a powerful book which I've reviewed in this newsletter.

It traces the development of Isabel Wilkerson's research as well as some of the core concepts of the book, making it a powerful introduction for anyone who hasn't made time to read the book. And for those who have, it's a reminder of exactly why the book was so impactful.

To begin at the end, the author states:

"The goal of this work has not been to resolve issues of a millennia-old phenomenon, but to bear witness to its presence in our everyday lives."

This seems particularly poignant as we watch the global increase in far right rhetoric and action and see the clear signs in the US of who has caste privilege and who doesn't, and where and when financial privilege can change someone's usual fate (and when it can't).

One of the things I love most about the documentary is that Isabel Wilkerson becomes real to me in a different way from seeing her name on a book cover. I particularly enjoyed the flowering of her relationship with her husband and empathised with her response to some of the setbacks she faced.

The documentary is adept at hitting viewers with stunning truths then leaving moments of silence for them - us - to process what just happened.

The murder of Trayvon Martin opens the discussion. Thankfully, this is not explicitly shown. Instead we hear some audio. Though it's still painful, this was a good call by the production team.

The documentary then moves through Isabel's research, switching smoothly between past and present and interspersing her discoveries with her reaction to those discoveries.

As with the book the stunning moment is when we see Germans studying Jim Crow to come up with their antisemitic laws, and the scenes from that period are appalling and striking.

"They made it all up ...it was all lies. They knew we weren't inferior, but they magnified the myths. They codify them,,set them in stone in our systems, in our laws in our healthcare, in where we live, how we learned, the kind of work we do, even our food.” - Isabel Wilkerson

That bites deeper in this moment, for sure.

As with the book, the documentary expertly highlights the links between Jim Crow, Nazi Germany and the treatment of the Dalits in India, making the point:

"All these containers have something in common. Race is not one of them. It's caste."

She goes on to point out:

"Racism is not the same as caste. Because race does not matter in order for the system to work."

A poignant part of the documentary is the tremendous personal loss and pain she deals with even while researching a history of loss and pain for others. (For example, I can't look at representations of ships carrying enslaved people without profound sadness and anger, though it was tastefully handled in the film.)

As her research progresses, we see Isabel Wilkerson outline the eight pillars of caste around which the book will be built.

You can see a brief analysis of the pillars of caste on Bartleby.

Or of course you could just read the book, right?

I found the Dalit researcher Suraj Yengde particularly inspiring. Despite the fact that the history of the Dalit, like those of the enslaved people of the Americas, is underpinned by rape, mutilation and murder, he choose to look towards a better world:

"There is a connection between us. The African Americans, the Dalits, the indigenous people around the world, the Palestinian people, the Roma people, Buraku people....and if we think about our histories, through the wonderful ability of love, the symbols of hate and diets of violence will be replaced by compassion, care and solidarity. This is the world that we have to imagine for ourselves and for others."

This documentary reminded me why I found the book so enlightening. It's informative and highly recommended.

The film ends as it began with an image of Trayvon Martin and a strong call to action:

"We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We didn't erect the uneven pillars but they are ours to deal with now. The cracks won't fix themselves. Any more deterioration is on our watch."

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As always, I want to include some of the quotes I found most striking as I watched:

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

Note: poll feedback is private - if you’re happy to share your thoughts in public, then please also leave a comment.

I am an anti-racism educator and activist, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2025. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter is published on beehiiv (affiliate link).

Origin cover image courtesy of http://www.impawards.com/2023/origin.html